Inseparable
by NeonFusion
Summary: Sequel to 'Joining You'. The Elric brothers and Winry are still on the search for the uranium bomb, but what will happen when a lead comes up and inevitably puts them in danger like before?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**** So this is the first chapter of Inseparable, sequel to 'Joining you', and I am mega excited to start this story. If you haven't read 'Joining you', that should be the first thing that you should do. If not, this story will be confusing. So this is set in the last place they were heading too, Leipzig. Everything else will be explained.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Full Metal Alchemist.**

--

Three months. That is how long the three had been in Leipzig. It would have been fine, only if they had made any progress. The only thing they had successfully done was earn some money to chase another rumor. At the moment the three were at their temporary home in Leipzig, a small apartment they had rented. All were exhausted from their long jobs.

Edward had begun working at bread shop not far from there apartment. He had no experience with baking bread, so with this job came many mistakes. He would sometimes press the wrong button, bake it too long, or add too much of one ingredient; and because of these mistakes he would usually end up home late. (He would have to redo everything he messed up that day) Thankfully though, he got in a basic rhythm of the shop and how it worked. Recently he had been doing better at his job, but he still made the occasional mistake here and there. He wondered how he even kept this job long.

Alphonse easily found a job at a local fruit stand. This also came with its difficult tasks. He would usually have to get up early in the morning (His employer's request) and then setup a stand before others got better spots. Then the rest of the day would consist of him sitting in the sun trying to sell all the fruit they had available. Even he couldn't do that though, he would usually get called upon by his employer to do random tasks that she asked of him. Even though his job wasn't too complicated, it still drained his energy by the end of the day.

Last by certainly not least, there was Winry. At first both Elric brothers told her that she didn't have to work, but this didn't stop the stubborn-minded blonde. She, unfortunately, had the hardest time finding a job. First she tried several different areas that sparked her interests somewhat, but these jobs were only for men. After cursing this world's view on women, she finally settled for a lowly job at a nearby diner. She was a waitress, outfit and all. Her day consisted of greasy food, perverted stares, and several complaints about the food. Needless to say she got exhausted by just explaining how stressful her day was.

So there they were sitting in their living room still in uniform, all tired and stressed from there day at work. But because they are childhood friends, they told everything.

"And then the woman has the nerve to complain about the food! She came to a place that is known for greasy food, and decided to give _me_ crap about it. "Winry sighed. "I nearly slapped her and her husband."

"Her husband?" Alphonse questioned "What did he do?"

"He kept looking at me, when he was supposed to be having lunch with his wife." Winry explained. She noted Edward's flinch before continuing. "I mean, talk about rude. The least he could do was to not be so obvious about it." She finished, which was followed by silent nods from both Elric brothers.

"Well, my day was filled with mistakes." Edward said replying to Winry's story.

"Were they your mistakes?" Winry asked making it sound like there was no other answer.

"No! It's that new girl Lucia! I think she is out to get me." Edward said angrily.

"Why do you say that brother?" Alphonse asked.

"Because she is the one making all the mistakes, and yet I get blamed. She added to much flour to one batter and baking soda in one." Winry and Alphonse cringed slightly at the thought of biting into a nice piece of bread and tasting baking soda. "Then she would over-bake the bread, but still claim innocence to the whole affair. So in the end I got blamed." Edward fumed. Winry leaned against Ed's shoulder which calmed him down considerably.

"Oh yeah?" Alphonse said challenging him. "Today I had to shuffle through ten bags of rotten fruit to try to find anything good to sell. Not only that but I had zero help because the two girls that were also working for Grete were on some sort of leave. So I had to do everything myself. Do you want to know how many fruit I found that were fresh?" Alphonse asked waiting for others to question also.

"How many fruit did you find?" Winry asked.

"None." Alphonse replied quickly. "I had rotten juices up to my elbows and found no good fruit in any of those bags." He finished with a loud sigh.

"You win." Winry and Edward said unanimously. They each let out a laugh at their game.

"At least we aren't staying here long." Alphonse said with a relieved sigh.

"Where are we going to next anyways?" Winry asked slightly excited. Edward took a long pause before answering.

"We're going back to Munich." He finally said. Winry gave him a confused look, but before she could ask why Edward spoke again. "But we aren't going to the area we were just at. We are going to a different side of that city, where I was staying just before Al joined me." He finished. Winry nodded in acknowledgement.

"I don't know about you two, but I am exhausted." Alphonse yawned. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight." He finished just before retiring to his room.

"You want to go to sleep also?" Edward asked Winry.

"Yeah, but I am going to change out of this hideous uniform first." She said with a scowl has she looked at it. Her uniform was a pale pinkish color and made her look like a country milk maid, as she had described once. Edward chuckled as he went to their room and Winry left to change.

They had been sleeping in the same room for a while now. Although they were in the same room now, it wasn't out of progression of their relationship, but rather for necessity. Both felt sleepless until they were in close proximity to each other. Edward felt the need to protect Winry, while Winry felt the need for his comfort. So in turn it worked out for both of them, despite the fact that weren't that advanced in their love-life.

At this moment Winry stepped in a white night gown that reached to the end of her knee. She smiled at Edward who was already sitting on their bed. She sat right next to Edward and gave him a small peck on lips before laying down the bed while still having her face turned towards him. He also followed this move and lied down beside her while still watching her face.

"Are you worried about going to Munich?" He asked in a slightly concerned voice.

"No, I mean it is a big city. Plus I'm not even sure if Isabel is still around." She said quietly. "Is there a lead there?" She asked.

"Not as of yet, but I have an idea that someone there might know something." Edward said in the same quiet tone.

"Hmm. Okay." Winry said already closing her eyes and giving into sleep. Edward wrapped his arm around her upper back and pulled her a bit closer into his chest. She smiled at this movement just before falling into deep sleep.

**A/N:**** Anyways, I'm posting this later than it was originally written, so updates should come in soon. Plus I know I did make them 'innocent' (?) I guess. Then again I don't always see people sleeping with each other right after they start dating. Although, that's because I live in a religious area….it sucks.**

**Either way, it works. Reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So school is closing soon, but I still have work

**A/N: ****So school is closing soon, but I still have work! And end-of-level tests also. So my updating may be a bit, random?**

--

The traveling three could only sigh in relief has they left Leipzig. It took another week before they could leave because of train problems. All was fixed and now they anxiously awaited different scenery then what they have been accustomed to in the last three months. They each had plenty of time to watch their surroundings pass them while on the train because it was a few hours long; despite that Edward had promptly fallen asleep.

"Such a blockhead," Winry commented on his sleeping habits. "I still don't understand how you two can be even slightly comfortable on these things." Winry and Alphonse sat on one bench facing the opposite one that Edward was sleeping on.

"I didn't realize how awkward it was until I rode in one without my armor." Alphonse replied. "But that wasn't until I got my memories back; when I was in Amestris it seemed oddly normal. Only when I think about does it make me think it's weird." Winry nodded at this explanation.

"Why are we going back to Munich?" Winry asked which was immediately met with Al's confused look. "I had no time to ask Edward, so you're going to answer. Why are we going?" Winry said finishing what she assumed was his thought.

"We're going to the center of Munich technically, a far ways away from before. And before I came to join Edward here, he was living here with another 'Alphonse'. So I think Ed wants to come back here to see if anything has come up since he left." He explained.

"Wait, another Alphonse what does that mean?" Winry asked confused.

"Oh that's another thing. Some of the people we are going to meet look…familiar." Alphonse said.

"Familiar?" Winry stated still confused.

"The thing is, in this world there seems to be a double for everyone. So the person that Ed was formerly living with resembled me, but was a completely different person. That is probably why when we all crossed, either you or the double die." He said with a little sadness at the end. Winry immediately knew that at the last statement Al was referring to himself.

"That's odd." Winry started. "Ed hasn't told me this before, just mostly this world's history right now." She stated.

"He probably didn't tell you because he didn't have too." Alphonse replied. Winry nodded also. She knew that it was probably true, but she couldn't help feeling like something worse was to come.

--

They were quick to leave the station and Edward was able to recognize the surroundings from his previous travels. With help from a local, they caught a ride on a back of a truck and it drove them further into town. People walked in their daily routine with their average life and Winry watched them. She thought about how much her life had changed. She once also had a daily routine, now she wasn't sure what she was doing or what was going to happen. This thought only made her think about how the two brothers sitting next to her, had been living their lives this whole time. At one time she would have yelled at the Elrics for their consist need to travel, but now she had gained a new respect for what they did.  
Soon enough they stopped in front of a low-scale flower shop. Winry liked the looks of it even from the outside and watched Edward walk straight up to the front desk in the shop and Alphonse following closely behind. She could tell that Ed had been here many times, and with that she followed behind them too. He glanced around until a woman stepped out from a room in the back of the shop.

"Edward!" said the light brown haired woman. "I haven't seen you in such a long time, how have you been?" She asked with a small smile.

"I've been good." He replied with a slight smile. Winry now understood what Al had told her on the train. The woman she saw looked like a replica of Mrs. Hughes in Amestris, but she could tell just by looking at her that she was a different woman all in herself. She looked back at her and Alphonse and gave a smile. "Who are these people?" She asked kindly.

"Oh," Edward said turning back towards his brother and Winry. "This is my brother Al, you probably saw him with me just before I left." He stated hand wavering towards Alphonse, and then he swung it toward the blonde girl. "This is Winry. Winry this is Gracia."

"It is nice to meet you, Gracia." Winry replied as did Alphonse. Gracia smiled at Winry just before she turned back to Edward.

"Why are you here Ed?" She asked curiously.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Officer Hughes, is he around?" Edward asked in return.

"He isn't here; I think he went down to the pub. He said something about meeting another officer there, but I don't think he'll mind seeing you for a bit." Gracia replied.

"I think I'll go talk to him then." He said to Gracia. He then turned to Alphonse and Winry, "Do you two mind staying here with Gracia?" He asked. They both shook their heads and with their answer Edward turned away and started walking down the street.

--

Edward found it surprisingly easy to locate Officer Hughes. He was at the pub Gracia had mentioned moments earlier. Although he was alone, even though she said he was meeting another person there. He walked straight up to him.

"What are you doing here Hughes?" He asked curiously. The officer looked at him surprised.

"Edward? When did you get back?" He asked still slightly shocked.

"Not too long ago." He said nonchalantly.

"Are you still looking for the uranium bomb?" Hughes replied in a calm and serious tone.

"Yes" Ed answered quickly. "But I've come to a dead end, and I was wondering if you had any information whatsoever." Hughes took a sigh before answering him.

"Right now most of the scientists are fleeing Germany. Most of them want no part in this war; you might want to look in Spain." He replied.

"Spain? Ok. Thanks Hughes." He said and he left the officer to continue his business by himself.

--

Gracia talked with Winry and Alphonse until Edward returned. Once he did he immediately turned to Winry.

"Weren't you in Spain before you came with me and Al?" He asked out of the blue.

"Yes…why?" She asked hesitantly.

"Because I think our next led may be there." Edward stated. "We probably should head there soon."

"Wait Ed, we don't even speak the language there. How will we communicate?" Winry asked when Gracia stepped in.

"I think I can lead you to someone who can help you." She said matter-of-factly.

"Really who?" Alphonse asked now joining in.

"Wait here, I'll get her. She lives near by." She said then went right out of the shop leaving the three. It wasn't a long while, but they did wait for quite some time until Gracia came back with another girl at Alphonse's age and she said, "This is Marisol."

--

**A/N:**** Yay! New character! So anyways, sorry for the delayed update, I'm trying out another story but I'm not likely to post it until I write multiple chapters for it…So I guess I'm trying to write two stories at once and it's kind of mixing me up. **

**Thanks for Reviewing! I appreciate them all! : D**


	3. Chapter 3

The woman Gracia had introduced has 'Marisol' was just a tad younger than Winry it seemed, and she displayed no emotion presently

The woman Gracia had introduced has 'Marisol' was just a tad younger than Winry it seemed, and she displayed no emotion presently. She was fair skinned, but it was darker from the sun's light. She had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes to match. Although her hair only reached her shoulders, it came out in many curls. She still stood by Gracia has everyone else was introduced to her.

"This is Edward and the other man is his brother Al, and lastly Winry." She said pointing to each has she said their names. She turned back to Marisol and continued speaking to her. "You told me a while ago that you were thinking about going back to Spain, correct?" The dark haired girl just nodded in reply. "Well these three also are going to Spain, but they don't know the language. Do you think you would accompany them?" She asked kindly. Marisol gave the group an odd look, as if determining whether or not it was worth her time.

"Sure, I'll help them until they can help themselves." She said with a slight accent in a monotone voice. "When are you planning on leaving?"

"As soon as possible, most likely the next train in that direction." Edward answered.

"Alright, I'll go pack." She said and left immediately there after. Alphonse was the next to speak breaking the short silence.

"That was surprisingly easy." He said with slight shock.

--

Although Winry had made the trip once before, she didn't stress how much time it took to get there. It took a little over a week in itself just to get across France, and that was traveling nonstop. The one good thing about this long trip was that they got talking, which led to the cracking of Marisol's cold outer-shell. She was, surprisingly enough, a very kind person. This started the next conversation.

"So why were you so cold to us when we first met you, Marisol?" Alphonse asked curiously.

"Well, many people in Germany are part of that Nazi-party, or whatever you call it, and after a while I realized that you couldn't trust people there." She explained. "Although after getting to know you three, I noticed that you guys are different." She saw their confused looks and explained. "You guys were obviously raised differently because you didn't ignore me or acted funny because I'm not of the same nationality."

"If you didn't like how people acted in Germany, why did you leave Spain?" Edward asked. Her expression became sadder.

"When my parents died in an accident, I was left in an orphanage. Ever since then I wanted to travel outside of Spain, I guess in attempt to forget. As you can see that didn't work out well for me." She said. Then she noticed Ed, Al and Winry have a slightly sadder look to them also, but she noticed that it wasn't out of pity…but rather from experience. From this observation she asked, to clarify.

"You've been in the same situation?" She asked to all. Al seemed slightly surprised by the question, but Ed wasn't.

"Yeah, our mother died when we were young, a little after Winry's parents died. Then just before I met back with my brother, my father died." Ed explained.

"How long have you guys known each other?" She asked curiously. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"We've known each other since we were kids, but I'm not sure how long…" Winry stated.

"Marisol, you said that people in Germany don't like you because of your nationality, are people in Spain like that?" Alphonse said changing the subject.

"Well, Spain is a nationalist country, but I don't share those views. If you at least learn the language, I think you could pass as a Spaniard." She said.

"How come you don't share the same views as your country?" Alphonse asked next.

"My mother always told me to not judge people by their appearance. I assume she meant anyone from whatever country, so this idea of keeping the nationalities together, seems odd to me." She answered. "What about you guys? How come you don't share the same ideas as Germany?" She asked. They paused for a moment.

"Well, we all used to live in a small town, so we didn't learn things like nationalism." Winry replied hesitantly. It was technically the truth, just not all of it. Marisol seemed to buy this answer though.

"How long before we reach Madrid?" Alphonse asked his older brother. They planned to go to the capital city because it was said that most of the scientists went to the large city because economy was fairing better there after the first war.

"The next stop is Soria, so about three days." Edward guessed.

"Can we please stop at this next station?" Winry asked tiredly.

"Why?" Edward asked semi-confused.

"Because I can't stand sleeping on another firm train-seat tonight, I want to get a hotel. We haven't taken a pit stop since we started. Just for tonight, please?" She asked pleading. Edward knew he couldn't say no.

"Fine, we'll stop just for tonight." He said. Winry cheered and continued talking to Marisol afterwards. Once they reached Soria they had Marisol ask for directions to the hotel and had her also get the hotel room. They got two rooms, but realizing the awkwardness they would have if they slept in their normal situations, they decided to split up by the sexes. So Winry gave Ed a long kiss just before leaving to her room next to theirs.

"How long have you and Ed been together?" Marisol asked starting the conversation while sitting in the dark room.

"Almost four months now." Winry answered. "Although I guess it's weird, I mean I've known him my whole life…so it seems longer." Marisol nodded her head. "Is it hard to learn Spanish?" Winry asked changing the subject.

"It depends on the person." Marisol started. "Some can learn languages easy, some have a hard time. But compared to German…Spanish is quite different." She finished.

"Well, I want to learn. I don't want to drag you everywhere just to help out, I might as well learn too, right?" Winry asked. Marisol smiled and nodded.

"Alright, so when were alone I'll teach you Spanish. Also try to listen to others around you speak it as well, ok?" Marisol asked with a kind smile.

"Ok." Winry replied cheerfully. Thus another friendship was made.

--

**A/N:**** Yes I know…it's short and it's kind of a filler chapter, but it all leads up to what is going to happen, so some of the chapters will be a bit slow.**

**Thanks to all who Reviewed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**** Now is the time that I put my four years of learning Spanish to use. Which I'm not going to be completely correct, because people in Spain speak slightly differently then others in Central and South America, I won't conjugate in the vosotros form because I didn't learn it in the first place (To those who know what I'm talking about). **

--

The group set off on their journey again at dawn. They still looked as though they needed a few more hours of sleep, but signs of drossiness left once the train began to move. They were promptly leaving Soria and then in several hours would be their last stop before they would ride their last train into Madrid. At the moment though, Marisol was looking around the train with an annoyed look and sighed angrily.

"What is it?" Al asked noticing her discomfort.

"People are staring" She said in a very annoyed tone.

For a moment the other three were about to dismiss the comment, because they had once grown a tolerance for stares and gossip when Alphonse was in the suit of armor. Now that they thought about it, they each grew curious because now that Al had his body back there would be no reason to stare.

"Why would people be staring?" Alphonse said glancing back at some of the other passengers and sure enough some were also glancing back towards them.

"It's Winry." Marisol said plainly almost as if it was self-explanatory. In response Winry cocked an eyebrow and questioned her reasoning for this conclusion. Marisol explained. "It's because you have blonde hair," She said addressing her. "I've gotten used to it living in Germany, but many people in Spain look like me. They have dark hair and dark eyes, rarely is there someone with bright hair and eyes like yours."

"I see" Winry replied and she felt Edward's hand intertwining with hers and she gave a small smile at Ed's protectiveness.

"Have you been to Madrid before, Marisol?" Alphonse asked changing the subject.

"Yeah, I lived there for a short time so I know my way around." She replied.

"Do you think you might know where there are some apartments available?" Edward asked next. Marisol pondered this for a moment then nodded.

"Yeah there is a place I know that should have some apartments open." She smiled. As they continued their discussions and hours eventually passed and they had reached the capital city of Spain. Each of them got off the train with their belongings and stretched their legs. Then soon afterwards, Marisol began leading the other three through the streets of Madrid.

"Also because you guys aren't from here you might want to not speak to the shop keepers, they'll probably try to haggle you because of your appearance." She noted as they stepped through a well known marketplace. They caught many glances when walking through it, but the place seemed to be busting with a stale excitement. But as they continued walk down the path they saw that the houses were mostly focused towards the marketplace and the further they walked the less people seemed to be there.

Soon enough they reached a small apartment complex with a slight Spanish theme seen through the structure of it all. The building shown with a faded color of beige, it looked nice and also widely unoccupied.

"Are you sure money isn't a problem?" Marisol asked.

"Well we did have to convert our money when we got here, and we had to pay for train tickets, so we did lose quite a lot." Alphonse stated. "But we made enough to the point were we can pay up front now and not have to worry about getting a job right now."

Winry breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried for a second there. For a moment I thought that all the work we did went to waste." She let out a small laugh.

"You don't have to worry about money, Win." Edward stated with no clear emotion. She scrunched her face at him.

"I'll worry if I want to. Plus I'm a part of this now right?" She stated placing a hand on her hip. She would have done both hands but the other was holding her suitcase. Both Marisol and Alphonse watched the couple from the background, and Marisol gave a look towards Al when Winry stated her last comment. Alphonse explained.

"Earlier my brother and I left to do something like this and we left Winry out. She worried over us a lot and also waited a long time for brother, so now she wants to take a more active role now she is with us." Marisol nodded understandingly at this explanation.

"Come on!" Marisol yelled at Ed and Winry, when they looked she waved them over and lead them to the manager's office. She then proceeded to act as a translator and relay a conversation between the manager and the three childhood friends. Winry tried to listen as much as she could to the Spanish conversation, but of course first starting out she realized how easy she could get lost in the sound of the words and not the words themselves. They were able to get a two bed and bath apartment. They thought this would be the best way to provide privacy for everyone, even if a certain couple were to sleep in separate rooms.

They moved into their new home and set their things in their rooms that were separated by gender. Also because they had little furniture they had to buy an abundance of blankets and create make-shift beds. When Winry was satisfied with her bundle of blankets that she called a bed, she went to get Edward.

"Ed?" She poked her head into the Elric's room, glancing around for sign of the familiar golden-haired brother. "Ed?" She called out louder.

"In here!" A voice called back. She noticed that it was in the bathroom that was connected into bedroom that Edward and Alphonse shared. She knocked on it lightly.

"Can I come in?" Winry asked curiously.

"One sec." A moment passed and the door opened with Edward holding the handle. She could tell that Edward had changed his shirt; she wasn't surprised since she had also changed because of the long train ride. Edward held the door open a bit wider for Winry to walk in, she did as such. "What's up?" Ed asked. She stood in front of him and leaned in and rested her head on the crook of his neck.

"Are you okay with sleeping separately?" Winry asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it. Plus with the stuff me and Al will have to do later, I won't want to keep you up if I didn't have to." Edward replied.

"That's good." She lifted her head and smiled at him. He leaned in and gave her kiss. She slowly snaked her arms around his neck as they began to kiss more roughly, then a loud noise came from the other room. They abruptly stopped and both blushed. "I should probably buy some food with Marisol." She said looking away and Ed nodded in reply.

"Do you want to come along? I mean you should probably get to now the area a bit, you know?" She said.

"Sure." He smiled and took her hand in his flesh one. Then just after the four had settled in, they drove back into the public and tried to shop for food, which meant Marisol tried to shop. Winry saw some tools that caught her eye and bothered Edward enough to make him buy it. As they walked around the marketplace, someone called out to them. At first they couldn't hear what the person said but then the woman was in view.

"_Winry_?" She asked looking directly at the blonde. Although it took her a moment she finally recognized the older woman.

"Loretta!" She yelled out cheerfully. Winry quickly walked over and gave her a hug.

"You know her?" Edward asked as he caught up with her.

"Yeah, she was the woman that took care of me when I first came here." Winry told them.

"_Ah, El es tu novio?" _Loretta said with a smile. Marisol laughed a little while the other three looked at her curiously.

"She asked if Edward was your boyfriend." She laughed a bit more. "It's really obvious that you two are together." They all joined in the laughter afterwards.

"Oh can you tell Loretta that I can't speak Spanish yet." Winry asked.

"Sure." She smiled. "_Loretta, Winry no puede hablar español todavida."_

Then Marisol continued to relay between Loretta and Winry. They asked how each other was, what they were doing now, and other miscellaneous things. Then a question stuck out from the rest. "She asked if you still keep in touch with 'Isabel'." Marisol stated. Everyone's ears perked up at the sound of that name.

"Oh no, I no longer speak to her anymore." Winry stated quickly. Marisol translated and then listened to Loretta once again.

"She said that it's weird, because she just saw her the other day." Marisol finished only finding her companions with shocked faces.

--

**A/N:**** I apologize deeply for not updating sooner! I finally got out of school and had plenty of free time and I suddenly lost inspiration. Inspiration was like a crappy friend, we totally made plans then suddenly…he ditched me. Either way I'm going to try harder to update faster again.**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: After re-reading my story so far, I've just realized I made a giant error

**A/N:**** After re-reading my story so far, I've just realized I made a giant error! Most of Chapter 2 was missing until now, so if you were confused that was probably why. Also I have another error in a different chapter but I didn't fix it immediately but I'll try to in the near future.**

**And I sincerely apologize for not updating sooner. I left on a trip and neglected my homework and other things. Sorry!**

**--**

The four began walking to their apartment, all of them silent. There was a tense feeling among the group since they discovered Isabel was still around and even in Spain with them. Even Marisol, who didn't know the situation, didn't speak either. It wasn't until their apartment door shut that they started talking.

"Damn it. What the hell are we going to do?" Edward said loudly, obviously stressed.

"Now wait. Loretta said she just recently saw Isabel, so she couldn't have found the bomb before us." Winry stated quickly.

"I know that, but there is a good chance that she will find us, and I don't want that to happen again." Edward said more calmly then before.

"Can I get an explanation?" Marisol asked clearly confused with the situation.

"Five months ago we were searching for that bomb, and Isabel was one of the people trying to get their hands on it. We want to get rid of it, but were not sure about them. Anyways, Isabel came along and kidnapped Winry for a little while and we all got in a fight. We thought she was gone or at least injured but apparently she's here in Spain." Alphonse explained quickly to Marisol hitting all of the main points. Marisol nodded understandingly now.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Marisol asked.

"I guess lie low for a while?" Winry stated the option.

"That won't work forever, but I guess we could for safe measure." Edward replied.

"We could also try disguises." Marisol offered. "Well except Winry." Then she talked directly to her. "Sorry but you stand out enough as it is." She replied.

"No that's fine. I don't mind having to stay here, as long as I don't get tied up with that woman again." Winry said with a slight smile.

"I guess that settles it." Alphonse said stopping the conversation.

**--**

"Marisol, do you know where those tools we bought earlier are?" Winry asked when she stepped into their room. The darker woman shook her head.

"No, although I don't think anyone put them away yet. What do you need them for?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, we haven't told you yet." Winry said out loud. "Well I was going to work on Edward. He has a prosthetic arm and leg. I was just going to check on it." Marisol gave a slightly surprised look then smiled.

"That's interesting. Well, I think those tools are still in the bag somewhere." She said looking around at the same time. Winry smiled at her for a moment. She was surprised at how well she accepted everything and didn't question them a lot. Winry realized that she must have a lot of trust in them. Soon Marisol let out a yelp. "Ah I found them." She picked it up and handed it to Winry.

"Thanks!" Winry said cheerfully as she walked into the brothers' room. She knew Alphonse was in the kitchen trying to cook something feasible for later. She glanced in the room and saw Edward sitting the corner reading a book, and he didn't even notice that she had entered. She liked that about him, he was really focused at times.

She walked up to him and sat in front of him. The movement itself made him aware of her presence. He turned the book down and looked up at her. He then saw the tools in her hands and sighed.

"Please? Just a quick check, I haven't been able to check thoroughly until now because I didn't have the tools." Winry pleaded. Edward replied with a simple 'fine' and let her examine her automail. She lifted the outer plates and thoroughly examined the inner connections while Edward sat in comfortable silence as she worked. Then she returned the pieces to their normal spots once more as quickly as it seemed to take them off.

"Well?" He asked.

"The arm is fine, it has a few kinks here and there, but nothing that will give you trouble." She replied. "I can check on the leg later." Edward nodded in reply. "First you have to not let this Isabel thing bother you."

"I know, but after last time I don't want anyone to get hurt." Edward said quietly.

"Even if I were to bump into Isabel again, I wouldn't let it escalate to how it was back then. Okay?" She asked. He nodded once again and she kissed him lightly on the cheek just before exiting his room.

**--**

**A/N:**** I know I could have added more to the story, but I'm so tired right now that I fear I might procrastinate if I try to go on any more. : P**

**Thanks for all the reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**** School is starting soon. I'm both excited and disappointed. I think once I have a daily routine I will be able to update regularly. **

--

"Alphonse!" A voice shouted and echoed in the barely empty room. He was sitting alone in the kitchen, which wasn't filled much either. They didn't have enough time to buy little things for cooking. All they really had in the kitchen was food they bought earlier that day before they learned about Isabel's whereabouts.He knew that this knowledge was going to bring trouble. He turned his head towards the call and found the dark-haired Marisol standing a few feet away from him.

"What are you doing?" Marisol questioned tilting her head slightly.

"At first I was putting the food away, and then I just ended up sitting here…thinking." Al said hesitantly. Marisol raised her eyebrow for a second then shook her head. 'She must think I'm weird.' Alphonse thought.

"Do you want to come back in town with me?" She asked

"Wouldn't you rather go with Winry?" He knew that she had been trying to teach Winry the language so he wasn't sure why she would want to go with him.

"She is busy with Edward right know, plus I want to go with you." Marisol stated plainly. Alphonse felt his emotions rise in his abdomen. Why did he feel this way? He shook the thought from his mind and stood up and left the apartment with Marisol. Before they had gone to a crowded marketplace to buy most of their things, but Marisol seemed to be walking into a different area.

"So where are we going?" Al asked breaking the silence that had held on for a while now, although neither of the two noticed. Marisol stared down at her feet a moment leaving a gap before her answer.

"I want to visit someone." This answer made him nervous for a moment.

"Who? If you don't mind me asking…" Alphonse said carefully.

"My grandma or that is what I call her." Alphonse let out a sigh.

"You're an orphan, right?" He stated recalling what she had told them before. She nodded before explaining.

"She was a worker in the orphanage that helped me as much as she could. She ended up getting laid off when I was still young, she also tried to adopt me, but they wouldn't allow her too. She kept in contact with me for all these years." Marisol smiled at this before continuing. "But she is old and getting frailer, so I want to visit her while I still can."

"She sounds like a great woman." Alphonse said in reply.

"Yeah, she is!" Marisol beamed. Alphonse liked seeing her smile, he felt better when she did. They reached a small house that was on a corner of a long line of houses. It was a simple house just like the other before it and it had a make to it that shown with Spanish culture, Al examined it for a moment and noticed that the majority of it was made from clay. The yard wasn't kept but it didn't matter that much as most of the yards were. Marisol bounced up to the door and knocked loudly. A few moments later an elderly woman answered the door.  
She had bright white hair and dark brown eyes. She hunched over slightly from age, but was able to still walk well. Her eyes lit up when she saw Marisol.

"_Abuelita!" _Marisol cheered and hugged the woman immediately.

"_Marisol? Yo pensé tu estuves en Alemania?"_ The woman replied.

"_Ahora, Yo estoy aquí" _Marisol replied with a smile. She looked back at Al and pushed him a bit closer. "Alphonse this is my grandma. _Abuelita este es Alphonso._" Both the older woman and Al made their greetings in their own language.

"_El es tu amigo?"_ The older woman asked Marisol.

"_Si, pero yo pienso caerse bien." _She said with a blush. The rest of the visit consisted of Marisol and her grandma talking while Alphonse sat enjoying their presence.

When they got back Winry and Edward were already eating their dinner while the other two plates still sat on the counter in the kitchen.

"Where have you to been?" Winry asked

"We just went out to see someone." Marisol answered. When everyone was done eating Alphonse pulled Winry aside.

"What is it Al?" Winry asked.

"Do you know enough Spanish for a little translation?" He asked curiously. Both Al and Ed knew that Winry was trying to learn the language in Spain, but they didn't realize that she had been drilled into learning it whenever she was alone with Marisol when she asked her too in Germany.

"Probably, depends but I'll see if I can." The blond replied.

"What does _caerse bien_, mean?" Alphonse asked.

"Literally? It means 'to fall well'." Alphonse gave her an odd look before she continued. "It could also mean 'to like', so just like that would mean 'like him well'. Does that help?" She asked. Alphonse nodded realizing the meaning. Does she like me? He thought before exiting the room.

--

"How long is this going to take?"Marisol huffed loudly.

"Hang in there; we only have to visit one more person to see." Winry said trying to seem the long day not as long. It was already noon and all morning Elric brothers and crew were going around seeing scientists that had any information on the bomb, unfortunately this meant Marisol had to translate. Even though Winry could help every now and then, there were still terms Winry didn't know so Marisol got the bulk of the job. Now they were on their way to see Stephan Marquez, the last scientist on the list. It had been a long day for all of them, but then again this was important and couldn't be ignored. They easily made it to Stephan's home and he was present when they knocked on the door. When he answered they were met with a tall, lanky, man with glasses. He also had dark hair and eyes that were common in the area, but rather than the fair skin that was common he had a pasty white look to him.

"_Eres Stephan Marques, no?" _Marisol asked.

"_Si. Yo soy Stephan."_ He replied calmly.

"_Sabes que aleman?"_ Marisol asked next.

"_Si, yo se. Por que?" _He answered again.

"Thank goodness." Marisol sighed loudly.

"What?" Edward asked confused.

"Mr. Marquez speaks German." Winry explained.

"That I do, now what can I help you with?" Marquez stated.

"I'm just going to ask bluntly. Do you know anything about the uranium bomb?" Edward asked not caring for manners at the moment. Marquez gave a shocked look for a second then looked sternly at the golden haired man.

"What would you want with it?" He asked.

"I simply want to get rid of it." Edward answered truthfully.

"Come inside, so we can talk privately." Marquez offered opening his door to the four young adults.

--

**A/N:**** Thanks to all those who reviewed. I'm trying to improve my writing more…and I shall update soon if my inspiration doesn't ditch me this week.**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: ACK

**A/N:**** ACK! I have been crazy busy. Read my profile to know why and see about other updates.**

**Back to the story!**

--

"What knowledge do you have of the uranium bomb?" Stephan asked once everyone was inside. His home was quite clean and there was enough furniture for everyone to sit down on, but everyone felt the same thing when they entered. They felt that no one was living there. Everything was too immaculate, and unused. Still each one sat down and began conversing with Mr. Marquez.

"Marisol and I have no previous knowledge what so ever." Winry said with raised hands. "You'll want to speak with Edward and Alphonse." She said directing to the Elric brothers.

"We both encountered a man with the bomb, but for a long while we thought it was lost. Once I heard that it was back and circulating, I tried my best to find it and found you." Edward started. "I just recently studied rocketry and physics at a university, so I know a bit. Although I don't know much about it, I wish to utilize my ability to rid of its possible destructive power." He finished followed by an agreeable nod from his younger brother.

"I agree with you there, but first I think I should elaborate about the bomb itself just so everyone is on the same page." He stated calmly. Everyone else nodded with agreement and let the pale man continue. "First of all, uranium is actually weakly radioactive element. Its radioactivity usually occurs naturally in low concentrations around a few particles per million. There are many types of uranium, but the more dangerous ones are the ones with more neutrons because more neutrons cause an element to become more instable. So when Uranium – 238 is bombarded with fast neutrons is has a possibility to fission spontaneously."

"Does this cause a lot of damage?" Marisol asked.

"Well, it can lead to a chain reaction but it's not as harsh as the atom bomb other scientists are speculating about." Marquez replied.

"You sound like your well into this project, why do you want to get rid of it?" Alphonse asked.

"I don't think that science should be used in a way that would potentially harm other human beings." He replied in a softer tone. "With this being said I'll do whatever in power to help you guys rid the world of this bomb." He said with much more confidence.

--

"So you two are going to see him every other day?" Winry asked the brothers.

"Yeah, if we want to be able to find a way to defuse the bomb or somehow lessen the force already transfixed into it we are going to have to work at least every other day." Alphonse answered her.

"I see." She whispered slightly before reaching the household and following Marisol.

"Let's go shopping, I think I still need some things if I'm going to be staying here." The darker woman said.

"Okay." Winry replied as the two women headed out the door they just walked in leaving the brothers behind. They chatted loudly in Spanish and grabbed several items that they would probably need in the near future, but when it came time for paying they came upon an unfortunate discovery. "We might not have enough money for the rest of this week." Winry said sadly.

"Come on, this isn't that bad. I mean, you know the language well enough. Both you and I can go get jobs." Marisol added with a smile.

"You're right." Winry smiled back. They quickly walked back in good spirits and entered the apartment which was eerily quiet. "Edward?" Winry called out confused. A noise called out and she followed it into the brothers' room. She found both of them asleep.

"_Lazy"_ She said loudly in Spanish, which made Marisol laugh. This enough was to wake the two. "Why are you two asleep!?" She called out. They shrugged.

"We got bored." Alphonse said.

"What's up, Winry?" Edward asked rubbing his eye.

"Marisol and I are going to get jobs. I mean you'll be out anyways and it won't be for long if we both work." Winry stated.

"What? No. You shouldn't." Ed said with slight anger.

"Why not?" Winry said feeling the argument beginning to rise.

"Remember? Isabel is running around here somewhere, and we all know what happened last time and I don't want a repeat of that." He answered.

"But you can leave every other day? If you don't recall she was trying to get rid of you!" Winry argued.

"But this is different-"Edward started before he was swiftly interrupted by Winry.

"No! It isn't! You put yourself in danger and yet you want me to sit here and wait to avoid me getting in danger. I knew that danger was present if I was going to travel with you, and if I don't remember correctly you said that I could join you this time. You say that you don't want a repeat of last time, what about you? Do you think I want you to potentially get hurt again? I don't, but I understand that you have to do it. Why can't you understand?" By the end of her argument her eyes were watering and she immediately turned and walked out the front door with a loud slam.

"Great, I feel like an ass." Edward said in a sigh.

"Don't you worry I'll go get her." Marisol said as she went to follow Winry.

--

Winry walked towards town with small tears running down her cheeks. _Stupid Edward!_ She thought as she whipped them clear from her face. _He doesn't understand that I want to help._ She continued to stomp her way through town, when she sensed something. Something wasn't quite right, but Winry felt she shouldn't act to quickly on it. She stayed within the public eye and didn't make any indications that she knew something out of the ordinary. Soon someone was behind her and whispered in her ear.

"It's nice to see you again, _Wendy._"

--

**Oh it's a cliffy. Even though you can obvious guess who it is. : P Anyways, more on this later.**

**Peace Out.**


	8. Chapter 8

Winry stood still angry from her head to her toes, and refused to move the second Isabel spoke to her. "_Crap! What am I supposed to do now?"_ she thought in shock. Isabel placed her two hands on Winry's shoulders and slowly turned her so they were looking face-to-face. Then Winry saw her. Isabel was the same as she was back then, but with one big difference. She scars from the previous encounter they had with her. Obviously the building collapsing on her caused damage that couldn't be erased. Winry gazed back as Isabel gave her a wicked glare.

"So how are you on this fine evening?" She said with such a wicked happiness that Winry was sure anyone else could pick up on it also. Winry stood silent as she asked her next question. "How is Edward Elric?" she grinned maliciously. Any anger she had for Ed dissipated.

"I'm no longer with him, so I am not aware of how he is doing." Winry replied defiantly. She knew Isabel and if her suspicions were correct, she is not only mad about not receiving the bomb, but also the scarring of the last battle. The only way to keep Edward safe now was to say that she hadn't seen him.

"That is highly doubtful, but no matter. I'll find him with or without you." She said in a softer tone that allowed only Winry to hear her words. "Goodbye dear, I'll be seeing you soon." She said in a cryptic tone as she waved her goodbye. Winry was far from naïve and knew that she was being watched now. She knew better and she knew that now she must avoid all contact with the Elric brothers as much as possible. Then she saw just who she was hoping to see.

Marisol ran up to her with an apparent loss of breath, she paused about to explain her reason for running to retrieve Winry but was swiftly stopped by speaking. "Marisol I need you to tell Ed and Al that I can't stay there. I need someplace to stay, do you know of somewhere?" Winry said thinking ahead.

"Wait, what is going on?" Marisol asked gathering breath.

"I ran into Isabel and she is looking for Ed so I can't lead her on." Winry stated.

"But you can't be alone! Edward will flip; he would rather get caught by Isabel finding you than to leave you all by yourself somewhere." Marisol stated and Winry knew she was right.

"What am I supposed to do Marisol? I can't lead her to him. Not after all the things that happened last time." Winry said pensively. Marisol looked at the sad expression of her friend.

"I'll go with you. I know that I'm putting myself at risk, but there will probably be worse consequences if I don't go with you." Winry nodded in agreement. "I assume you remember the shops in this area, correct?" The blond nodded again. "Good, then I'll meet you at the coffee shop we saw earlier this week, Okay?" Marisol asked and left once she saw a positive response from Winry. Winry watched her friend leave as quickly as she came; she stayed for a moment to see if anyone was following her. When she saw that there was no one, she fled to the shop Marisol mentioned.

------

Marisol quickly ran back to the apartment on the same path she had taken to reach Winry. Her short brown hair flew beside her as she finally slowed upon arrival to their house. She walked in still breathing deeply; she stepped in only to see Alphonse. He stood up when he saw her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, she assumed she looked slightly distressed after all that running.

"We're leaving." She stated simply, although that didn't seem like the best option.

"What?" Alphonse asked with an extremely shocked expression. Marisol started gathering things from her room along with some of her friend's possessions.

"Apparently, Winry ran into Isabel. Don't worry she is safe, but she is worried about you and Edward. She said she didn't want to lead Isabel here, so Winry and I will stay with a friend of mine." She said briefly while scanning the room for more objects.

"Ed's not going to like this." Alphonse sighed.

"Well, I'll come by later again at night and tell you where the address is. You and I could probably meet and not gain any suspicion, but even then we might be pushing the limit." She said slowly in realization.

"We're just going to have to deal with what we have." Al responded, "I think as long as you two are together, you will both be fine." He finished.

Marisol nodded and made another quick exit and ran back with their items in hand. She kept a good pace that didn't seem too out of the ordinary. Now she could only think, _where are we going to stay?_

-----

Shortly after Marisol left, Edward returned from his walk. Al could only imagine his brother walking around in a sort of pensive/self-loathing kind of trot he usually has after a fight with Winry. The younger brother watched him as he strolled into the kitchen. He glanced around for a moment and then back at him.

"Is Winry back yet? What is keeping them so long?" He asked him. Although he knew it was coming, he wasn't keen on re-explaining what Marisol had told him back to his brother. In fact this was the conversation he wasn't looking forward to having with his brother, but he had to tell him sooner or later.

"Well about that…"

--------

**A/N:**** ACK! I hate that I haven't updated in so long. If you want a lame excuse, I'll just tell you I got caught up in life….darn life and its many complications. : P **

**Anyways I plan on updating again over my winter break, I SWEAR! If I don't then….I'll have some sort of punishment for me. I don't know.**

**Thanks to those who reviewed.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **** I'm terrible!!! I've somehow lost a deep motivation for writing and decided to stop for a while, and every time I thought about my stories I felt so bad about not updating! Punishment for me will go in effect soon. Sorry for the lateness, but here's the next chapter.**

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"WHAT!?" Edward yelled as his brother flinched at the volume.

"Brother, think about it. This might be a better solution to keep everyone safe." Al said trying to calm Ed.

"What are you talking about? Winry is out there putting herself in danger for me, how can I allow that?" Ed said still yelling.

Alphonse sighed, "Didn't you do the same before?" Edward turned his gaze towards the floor. "You need to realize that Winry is doing what she thinks is best in this situation and that if you were in her shoes right now you would do the same thing."

"You're right." Edward said scratching his head and let out an irritated sigh. "What're we going to do now?" Alphonse shrugged.

"I'll have to meet with Marisol later and find out."

---------

It had been eight days since they left the Elric brothers to themselves. The first day Marisol managed to find someone to board with, both girls agreed to not go to anyone familiar because it may result in putting those people in harms way also.

The next few days after they found a home were spent on finding a job. Marisol quickly got a job cooking in a local breakfast and lunch café, which worked to her advantage because the café closed early. Winry on the other hand took a little while longer to find a job, one that didn't completely detest. The blonde ended up employed to the small city building and basically worked as a messenger. She ran around and delivered letters mostly but other times she just filed papers or organized storage. She was obviously the bottom of this hierarchy, but she didn't care much because the job kept her busy moving around and at the time that was what she needed.

Winry walked down the long road of houses on the way to her own and couldn't help but think of Edward. Winry hadn't seen him in eight days, and Marisol had only met up with Alphonse once since they moved out and it was to tell him that they were okay. Other than that they had no word of the boys. The more Winry thought about it the more she missed them, especially Ed. When she thought of the time she didn't spend with him she also thought of the times she was alone waiting for him to return and she didn't want that to repeat itself all over again. She sighed and tried to focus more on her destination rather than on her thoughts, instead someone else interrupted her focus.

"What are you doing?" Winry jumped at the voice and turned to see Marisol with her cropped hair bouncing along her face.

"Don't scare me like that!" The blonde playfully hit her friend. "Plus what do you think I'm doing? I'm headed back to Carla's place." Winry added. Carla was the woman who had let them in, she was a nice woman but she wasn't around much so neither of the girls knew her well.

"Oh? But I've got good news!" Marisol cheerfully said waiting for Winry's response.

"So, what is it?" Winry asked.

"I've made another meeting with Alphonse" Winry's eyes lit up. "So whatever you need to give Edward find it when we get to Carla's and I'll give it to Al, okay?" Marisol said cheerfully knowing that this would cheer Winry up. Marisol had noticed the past few days that Winry seemed to be feeling down she never asked why but she thought she knew what is was about from the start. Now all she could do was smile as her friend quickly stepped towards the house with him on mind.

----------

Eight days had felt like forever. Edward could see how painful waiting was, and now he knew how much it took to wait for someone and he grew a new respect for Winry and what she had done. He had decided he wouldn't complain how long it would be even though it was always on his mind. Even Alphonse had begun to notice, Al noted that Ed kept leaving his gloves off, which normally in public happened rarely, then he noticed that Ed would keep looking at his arm almost like a silently reminder of her and he couldn't help but smile at his hopelessly-in-love older brother.

For the past few days they had started working along side Stephan, but the problem was that he still couldn't let them into the lab where he was currently working at; instead he had to bring his research home and begin to study it with the Elrics. It seemed to be going well however the limitations with not having the bomb there were beginning to hinder their help towards the eighth day.

"Ugh. I know we can't help it, but this is getting frustrating." Edward sighed throwing his arms out taking up the space on his bed.

"I know brother, but Stephan is working on it we just have to trust him for right now." Alphonse said walking around his older brother and towards the closet.

"I guess you're right Al." Edward said in almost a defeated tone. Al let out a soft laugh.

"Oh yeah, there's something I forgot to tell you." Alphonse started and Edward looked up at him. "Marisol and I set up a meeting to see how things are going with them, so if you give Winry anything the time to hand it over is now." Al said has he finished getting ready.

"Okay, okay wait a moment I'll be right back!" Edward said before running off. Al laughed again at his brother but more when he wasn't there. Then he headed towards where Edward had gone too.

-----

**A/N: ****Ugh, I know this is short, but it's something right? I should be punished with all my might about not having updated until now, so I'm going to get right to that!**

**Reviews were and will be appreciated. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:**** I deserve no reviews for being so late. D:**

Winry paced around continually thinking of what to write to Ed. She was agonizing over it and eventually she tried to convey her love and loneliness to him in a few short lines on a piece of paper. Marisol had been waiting patiently for her to finish, once she was Marisol quickly grabbed it.

"I'll see you later Winry." Marisol said joyfully as she left. Winry smiled and waved her goodbye and once she was out of sight she gave a long sigh.

Winry wanted to see Edward but in the current situation she knew that it would be difficult especially if she didn't want to endanger him. She looked out the window and noticed the orange of sunset and only hoped that Edward would send a letter back reflecting her own feelings.

"Brother, hurry up!" Alphonse yelled from the other room. The youngest Elric was busy packing a few things to take with him and trying to get his older sibling to come out of his room, which proved to be a difficult task. "If you don't come out here within the next minute I'm going to leave and whatever you want to give Winry you'll just have to keep here."

"Alright, alright, I'm done anyways." Edward said as he emerged from the bedroom.

"It's about time." Al complained.

"I just didn't know what to say…exactly." Ed said as he blushed slightly.

Alphonse simply chuckled and took the letter from Edward and put in his bag. "I'll be back home soon, don't forget to eat something okay?" Al said as he was walking towards the door. Edward waved his hand up to acknowledge the comment. Once he left Edward glanced at his clock and hoped that Winry would receive her letter quickly.

Marisol had already been waiting when Alphonse approached her. She smiled when she saw him and ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck pulling him into a hug. Alphonse froze at the gesture. Although he didn't completely dislike the embrace, which he didn't at all, he was utterly confused on why the hug was occurring. Marisol merely laughed and releasing him from her hold.

"It looks like your brother wasn't the only one who was missed." She smiled and then reached down into her bag and pulled out a letter from Winry. "Here, she's been miserable this entire week so hopefully this will help Ed because I'm sure he's the same way." She responded with a smile. Alphonse wasn't sure how to respond to her at first, but he smiled widely in return and handed her Edward's letter for Winry.

"Well you pegged Edward. He's been like the walking dead the past eight days." Alphonse laughed. He checked his watch quickly and gave an annoyed sigh. "Sorry I have to head out." He frowned and turned away as he a Marisol started walking in opposite directions he stopped for a moment. "Marisol!" He called out. She turned back to him to hear him reply, "I've missed you too." He smiled just before he turned away and continued on his path.

Marisol just smiled the entire way home. She entered the house only about thirty minutes since she had first left with Winry's letter in hand. Winry ran to the door expecting her and look excitedly at her Spanish friend. "Where's his letter?" She asked beaming.

"Here," she laughed at her friend's excitement as she handed her the letter. Winry swiftly grabbed it and headed into a different room to read her message in private. She saw her name written on the front of the envelope and already felt sad from seeing his hand writing but not the man behind the pen. She ripped the envelope to carefully pull out the letter to only see two lines of writing.

"_Meet me half way at the dirt road behind the café we passed on our first day here.  
I'll be waiting. –Edward"_

She sat there staring at the words on the page. She should have felt happy, overjoyed, and completely and utterly ecstatic. All she could think about at the moment was how stupid Edward was and how much trouble he was going to be in when she meet up with him. She grabbed her coat as quickly as she had opened the letter and jolted towards the door.

"Where are you going Winry?" Marisol asked sounding concerned.

"Out to beat a certain boyfriend of mine." She snapped before slamming the door behind her.

"Brother, where are you going? I thought we were going to go to Stephan's tonight?" Alphonse pressed as he saw his brother getting up to leave.

"I told Marquez that I was ill and that we would go see tomorrow, one day won't hurt right? Edward replied nonchalantly. "I'll see you in a few." He said before he closed the door. He walked down the path that the group took entering the city and started walking in the opposite directions they had taken previously and ended up on a street with a row of shops and small restaurants. He strode down the street until he saw an opening that led to a small alley way behind the café that was well lit and clean which had surprised him the first time he saw it, it even had on looking houses on the other side allowing for better protection in case thing happened. He glanced around and didn't see Winry and it wasn't until his head was struck with a head metal object that he saw her.

She threw one of her wrenches directly at his head. He grabbed the back of his head and flipped around to see the blonde in obvious anger. She was so mad she was almost to the point of tears.

"Do you know how stupid you are!" She yelled at him. "I'd tried protecting you for once and you go out to come see me? What were you thi-", She was cut off by Edwards lips that had rushed to her the moment he saw her. He held her tightly like he never planned to let go of her. She couldn't help but kiss him back. She hadn't tasted his lips in eight days and she wasn't going to waste the few moments she had with him now. He pulled away first but still clung to her.

"I'm sorry for what I said. I was just being too protective and I realize I have to let you help more. "Ed whispered quietly in Winry's ear making her go weak in her knees.

Winry leaned her head onto his shoulder and held him even closer to her. "Thank you, but I understand what you're coming from. I mean because of that outburst I ended up seeing Isabel again." She sighed as she took in his smell.

"I'm also sorry that I made you come out here tonight. I really couldn't go another day without seeing you." Edward sighed as he felt relief wash over him with Winry in his arms.

"Don't be sorry. I know I was going to give you a hard time, but I really missed you too. I've wanted to see you this whole time." Winry responded looking straight into his golden eyes. She put her hands and cupped his face and bought his lips down to hers and began to kiss him deeply as her hands moved from his face to his hair. His hands gripped the small of her back and his flesh hand came up to touch her face. They continued to kiss until they had to breathe. After they had stopped kissing they rested his each other's forehead on one another. Ed looked deeply into her eyes once more.

"And now I don't want to let you go." He said quietly hugging her closer to him when he said it.

"Don't worry Ed. No matter what I'll always be with you. If you haven't realized we are rather inseparable." She smiled as she embraced him fully letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"You're right. Promise to never leave my sight once this whole mess is done with?" The former alchemist asked with a smirk on his face.

"I think I can do more than that." Winry responded with the same smirk. She kissed him lightly on the lips before saying, "Oh and when I said inseparable, I meant for life." She said smiling in Edward's arms.

"For life?" Ed smiled. "I think I like that idea." They kissed a few more times but realized they shouldn't be out much later. They stalled as much as possible but eventually gave in and walked their separate ways but content that despite the distance they would never be separated completely.

The next day Alphonse saw a great improvement in Edward's study habits. While studying had never been a problem for Ed or Al, Edward had been distracted by Winry's absence and wouldn't focus much. But today had been completely different he was sure that he and his brother were closer than ever to solving how to better rid of the bomb.

"I don't think we can completely disable the bomb." Stephan had announced that day after a few hours of the Elric brothers studying with him.

"Is if because of the chemical uranium or is the structure itself?" Alphonse asked.

"While the chemical itself I can aid in decreasing it's destructive force with some aid in radioactive decay, but the structure is rather complicated and I think that if we tried to hard in disassembling it that we may end up, well dead. And I think that is the result we are trying to avoid." Stephan said adding a smile at the end in a humorous kind of way despite the dark outcome that would befall them.

"Do you think we could set it off somewhere and have it be controlled and away from citizens? I just to get rid of this thing before we have something terrible will happen." Edward replied.

"That may be our best choice with how much talk is going around about the bomb. It may be best to find a place where we can just detonate the bomb and not cause harm to anyone. But I think that's all for now. You boys can go on home." Stephan said. Both brothers nodded and said their goodbyes for the day and quickly grabbed their things and left.

A knock was heard on the opposite door of the lab from which the Elric brother did not exit. Stephan opened the door to find Isabel standing there; she looked at him and asked, "Are the Elric boys gone?"

**A/N: **** Oh my gosh, I'm a terrible person for not getting this story out sooner. I'm trying to punish myself! I hope to finish this story by the end of the week, so I mean I know it took me a long time but I'm closer to being done, that's good right? Either way I need to kick my own butt.**

Thanks to those who reviewed despite my not being consistent, I can't thank you enough!


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